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Brand Leadership: Strategy, Management, and Performance

Directed by the thought leaders of the Center on Global Brand Leadership, Brand Leadership: Strategy, Management, and Performance gives you the knowledge, skills, and tools to lead your brand for maximum impact in today’s global and digital marketplace.

A brand is a pivotal strategic and financial asset for any organization. In Brand Leadership: Strategy, Management, and Performance, you will learn how to build a strong brand identity, a superior brand experience, and lasting brand loyalty. You will be able to differentiate your brand from the competition, sustain its differentiation and competitive advantage, and maximize its impact and profitability.

The program is fast paced, dynamic, and practical, combining interactive lectures and discussions with case studies, planning exercises, and other group work. It is delivered in close collaboration with the
Center on Global Brand Leadership, a one-of-its-kind think tank that provides innovative brand solutions.

At the Center, the program’s faculty directors, Professors Bernd Schmitt and Michel Tuan Pham, have developed some of the key ideas in brand marketing and management today – from emotional branding and positioning platform selection to customer experience management. These ideas have been built into the Executive Brand Leadership ModelTM, a powerful set of practical tools for managing and leveraging brand assets in today’s global and digital environments. In the Brand Leadership program, you will learn to apply this model to your brand and organization for greater profits and growth.

In addition to classroom work, the program uses New York City as a virtual brand and lifestyle laboratory. In addition to meeting New York-based new media experts, you will engage in an immersive brand experience tour of iconic retail stores, and conduct an on-site analysis of digital brand displays in Times Square, followed by drinks and dinner at a much-buzzed-about lifestyle restaurant and bar.

Our professional relationship with you will begin before the program and won’t end with the program. Prior to the program, you will receive a free Brand Leadership Audit from the program directors. After the program, you will be eligible to join the network of thousands of brand executives associated with the Center on Global Brand Leadership, attend the Center’s conferences at a discount rate, and receive the Center’s latest updates in knowledge and brand insight.

BENEFITS

The program will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and tools to differentiate your brand from the competition and manage it strategically. The initial Brand Leadership Audit will give you a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your brand, whereas the Executive Brand Leadership ModelTM will give you a set of planning instruments and tools to leverage your brand’s opportunities and address its threats.

After attending program, you will be ready to:

Diagnose your brand’s strengths and weaknesses

Develop genuine customer insights about the brand

Differentiate your brand from the competition

Create a compelling brand experience

Plan and execute an integrated brand campaign

Design and manage digital brand communications

Leverage and protect your corporate brand reputation

Measure and demonstrate the value of your brand

Optimize the role of your brand within the brand portfolio

Plan the future for your brand

In addition, you will be eligible to join the network of thousands of brand executives associated with the
Center on Global Brand Leadership. As a member, you will be able attend the Center’s conferences and events at a discount and receive the Center’s latest knowledge and brand insight updates.

CURRICULUM

The program uses a combination of interactive lectures, case studies, planning exercises in groups, and experiential learning activities that leverage New York City as a virtual brand laboratory (including an immersive brand retail tour, an on-site analysis of digital brand displays, and a lifestyle immersion). Most importantly, you will learn, step-by-step, the various tools of the Executive Brand Leadership ModelTM, and apply these tools to your own brand.

Day 1 focuses on brand strategy, brand identity, and digital branding. We will begin with a Brand Leadership Audit where you will identify the strengths and weaknesses of your brand relative to competition. You will then discuss the key parts of your brand’s identity—the brand core, brand personality and brand positioning as well as various implementation elements. At the end of Day 1 we will examine social media, digital platforms and user content to develop a digital strategy for the brand.

Day 2 focuses on creating deeply human, emotional and social connection for the brand through brand archetypes and the brand experience. You will learn how to strengthen your brand using brand archetypes and customer experience management. In addition, we will invite a panel of brand practitioners and new media experts to join us to discuss current and future trends in branding, and integrated marketing communications.

Day 3 focuses on measuring brand value, brand architectures and portfolio management, and the organizational implications of your branding strategy. You will learn various brand impact metrics and design a tracking system for your brand. You will explore brand architecture options and how to assess the role of your brand as part of a brand portfolio. Finally, you will learn how to align the organization around the brand and become a brand-centric organization.

TESTIMONIALS

The program is designed for mid- to upper-level executives whose responsibilities require a strategic perspective on the brand. It is appropriate for marketing and non-marketing executives alike, and executives from a wide range of industries such as consumer goods and services, pharmaceutical and healthcare, media and technology, B2B services and products, and not-for-profit organizations. Anybody who owns or manages a brand will benefit from the program, including brand investors (e.g., private equity).

FACULTY

Bernd Schmitt, Co-Faculty Director
Robert D. Calkins Professor of International Business

Bernd Schmitt is widely recognized for his contributions to branding, marketing, and management through his unique focus on the customer experience, innovation, and customer happiness. He has authored or co-authored eight books which have been translated into more than 20 languages, including Experiential Marketing (1999), Customer Experience Management (2003), Big Think Strategy (2007), Happy Customers Everywhere (2012) and The Changing Face of the Asian Consumer (2014). His speaking and consulting clients include leading companies in the consumer package goods, automobile, electronics, software, financial services, pharmaceuticals, beauty and cosmetics, hospitality, and media industries. He has been profiled on CNNfn's "Business Unusual" and has appeared on BBC, CNBC, CNBC-Asia, CNN, NHK and on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart and contributed articles to The New York Times, the Asian Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times.

Michel Tuan Pham is the author of more than 40 scientific articles in consumer behavior, marketing, and decision-making, he is a leading expert on marketing and branding strategy, customer insight, and consumer psychology. A passionate and sought-after executive teacher, he has conducted acclaimed seminars on these topics for thousands of executives from hundreds of companies. His consulting clients on issues related to branding and trademark protection include major brands from different industries. His influential research and comments on current business issues have been featured in major media outlets such as The New York Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNN, and the BBC. He is a past President of the Society for Consumer Psychology, the leading professional organization for the advancement of the psychological science of the consumer.

Along with Professors Schmitt and Pham, additional Columbia Business School faculty contribute to and teach in the program.

RELATED PROGRAMS

Other Marketing Programs:

New ProgramBusiness-to-Business Marketing StrategyLearn the strategy behind customer engagement when the customer is an organization, not an individual or household, and acquire the tools to implement this strategy to build competitive advantage.

Digital Marketing Strategy IIThis two-day workshop style program leads participants through the development of a strategic marketing plan for their businesses. Participants apply the strategic planning framework taught in Digital Marketing Strategy to real-world business challenges.

Program Details

Upcoming Sessions

Overview

A brand is a pivotal strategic and financial asset for any organization. In Brand Leadership: Strategy, Management, and Performance, you will learn how to build a strong brand identity, a superior brand experience, and lasting brand loyalty. You will be able to differentiate your brand from the competition, sustain its differentiation and competitive advantage, and maximize its impact and profitability.

The program is fast paced, dynamic, and practical, combining interactive lectures and discussions with case studies, planning exercises, and other group work. It is delivered in close collaboration with the
Center on Global Brand Leadership, a one-of-its-kind think tank that provides innovative brand solutions.

At the Center, the program’s faculty directors, Professors Bernd Schmitt and Michel Tuan Pham, have developed some of the key ideas in brand marketing and management today – from emotional branding and positioning platform selection to customer experience management. These ideas have been built into the Executive Brand Leadership ModelTM, a powerful set of practical tools for managing and leveraging brand assets in today’s global and digital environments. In the Brand Leadership program, you will learn to apply this model to your brand and organization for greater profits and growth.

In addition to classroom work, the program uses New York City as a virtual brand and lifestyle laboratory. In addition to meeting New York-based new media experts, you will engage in an immersive brand experience tour of iconic retail stores, and conduct an on-site analysis of digital brand displays in Times Square, followed by drinks and dinner at a much-buzzed-about lifestyle restaurant and bar.

Our professional relationship with you will begin before the program and won’t end with the program. Prior to the program, you will receive a free Brand Leadership Audit from the program directors. After the program, you will be eligible to join the network of thousands of brand executives associated with the Center on Global Brand Leadership, attend the Center’s conferences at a discount rate, and receive the Center’s latest updates in knowledge and brand insight.

Program Details

Upcoming Sessions

Benefits

The program will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and tools to differentiate your brand from the competition and manage it strategically. The initial Brand Leadership Audit will give you a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your brand, whereas the Executive Brand Leadership ModelTM will give you a set of planning instruments and tools to leverage your brand’s opportunities and address its threats.

After attending program, you will be ready to:

Diagnose your brand’s strengths and weaknesses

Develop genuine customer insights about the brand

Differentiate your brand from the competition

Create a compelling brand experience

Plan and execute an integrated brand campaign

Design and manage digital brand communications

Leverage and protect your corporate brand reputation

Measure and demonstrate the value of your brand

Optimize the role of your brand within the brand portfolio

Plan the future for your brand

In addition, you will be eligible to join the network of thousands of brand executives associated with the
Center on Global Brand Leadership. As a member, you will be able attend the Center’s conferences and events at a discount and receive the Center’s latest knowledge and brand insight updates.

Program Details

Upcoming Sessions

Curriculum

The program uses a combination of interactive lectures, case studies, planning exercises in groups, and experiential learning activities that leverage New York City as a virtual brand laboratory (including an immersive brand retail tour, an on-site analysis of digital brand displays, and a lifestyle immersion). Most importantly, you will learn, step-by-step, the various tools of the Executive Brand Leadership ModelTM, and apply these tools to your own brand.

Day 1 focuses on brand strategy, brand identity, and digital branding. We will begin with a Brand Leadership Audit where you will identify the strengths and weaknesses of your brand relative to competition. You will then discuss the key parts of your brand’s identity—the brand core, brand personality and brand positioning as well as various implementation elements. At the end of Day 1 we will examine social media, digital platforms and user content to develop a digital strategy for the brand.

Day 2 focuses on creating deeply human, emotional and social connection for the brand through brand archetypes and the brand experience. You will learn how to strengthen your brand using brand archetypes and customer experience management. In addition, we will invite a panel of brand practitioners and new media experts to join us to discuss current and future trends in branding, and integrated marketing communications.

Day 3 focuses on measuring brand value, brand architectures and portfolio management, and the organizational implications of your branding strategy. You will learn various brand impact metrics and design a tracking system for your brand. You will explore brand architecture options and how to assess the role of your brand as part of a brand portfolio. Finally, you will learn how to align the organization around the brand and become a brand-centric organization.

Program Details

Upcoming Sessions

Audience & Testimonials

The program is designed for mid- to upper-level executives whose responsibilities require a strategic perspective on the brand. It is appropriate for marketing and non-marketing executives alike, and executives from a wide range of industries such as consumer goods and services, pharmaceutical and healthcare, media and technology, B2B services and products, and not-for-profit organizations. Anybody who owns or manages a brand will benefit from the program, including brand investors (e.g., private equity).

Program Details

Upcoming Sessions

Faculty

Bernd Schmitt, Co-Faculty Director
Robert D. Calkins Professor of International Business

Bernd Schmitt is widely recognized for his contributions to branding, marketing, and management through his unique focus on the customer experience, innovation, and customer happiness. He has authored or co-authored eight books which have been translated into more than 20 languages, including Experiential Marketing (1999), Customer Experience Management (2003), Big Think Strategy (2007), Happy Customers Everywhere (2012) and The Changing Face of the Asian Consumer (2014). His speaking and consulting clients include leading companies in the consumer package goods, automobile, electronics, software, financial services, pharmaceuticals, beauty and cosmetics, hospitality, and media industries. He has been profiled on CNNfn's "Business Unusual" and has appeared on BBC, CNBC, CNBC-Asia, CNN, NHK and on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart and contributed articles to The New York Times, the Asian Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times.

Michel Tuan Pham is the author of more than 40 scientific articles in consumer behavior, marketing, and decision-making, he is a leading expert on marketing and branding strategy, customer insight, and consumer psychology. A passionate and sought-after executive teacher, he has conducted acclaimed seminars on these topics for thousands of executives from hundreds of companies. His consulting clients on issues related to branding and trademark protection include major brands from different industries. His influential research and comments on current business issues have been featured in major media outlets such as The New York Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNN, and the BBC. He is a past President of the Society for Consumer Psychology, the leading professional organization for the advancement of the psychological science of the consumer.

Along with Professors Schmitt and Pham, additional Columbia Business School faculty contribute to and teach in the program.

Program Details

Upcoming Sessions

Related Programs

Other Marketing Programs:

New ProgramBusiness-to-Business Marketing StrategyLearn the strategy behind customer engagement when the customer is an organization, not an individual or household, and acquire the tools to implement this strategy to build competitive advantage.

Digital Marketing Strategy IIThis two-day workshop style program leads participants through the development of a strategic marketing plan for their businesses. Participants apply the strategic planning framework taught in Digital Marketing Strategy to real-world business challenges.

Testimonials: Return on Learning

Julia MerkelESPRIT, SVP Global-HR
– “The return on investment is the chance to trigger business and people with the latest research, cutting edge and inspiring methods for evaluation and development, and leadership with collective power.”